Icksomething hall and the anglo saxon village
Wasn't sure what I wanted to do today, but Grimes Graves up near trentham forest looked good. So I headed there via Bury St Edmonds which had a museum and a big house to visit.
The museum wasn't open and I couldn't be bothered hanging around so I went straight to the big house. This was some mansion done in 'Italian' style and was quite magnificent. Great park for the kids and lots of places to hide, plus a deer enclosure. While I only stayed for a little while, I think a family would have a great time there with a picnic lunch. Also the house itself wasn't open (closed wednesdays and thursdays :( so I would have liked to have seen inside.
Then I went to a 'Saxon Village' which I had seen signs to - doesn't appear in any of my tourist books. It was great. Basically an archaeologist's research site where they have excavated all these old Saxon dwellings. Then they have tried to build their own versions from their findings to see if they work or not. Really interesting stuff.
So far I think I like the anglo-saxon period the best. People worked hard, but were not as precarioous as those of pre-roman times, but civilization wasn't built up enough that there was a particular structure to society yet.
What do I mean? I guess When I went round Montfichet castle the other day I quite liked that too - the lifestyle quite appealled to me. But I didn't like the Norman structure, and the punishments and tortures and religious aspects really turn me off. But the Saxons lived in their big families - sometimes 2 or three families in one place, but not too many more - so I can't imagine they could have had many more problems than your normal family has :)
Just ask the Osbornes..
The museum wasn't open and I couldn't be bothered hanging around so I went straight to the big house. This was some mansion done in 'Italian' style and was quite magnificent. Great park for the kids and lots of places to hide, plus a deer enclosure. While I only stayed for a little while, I think a family would have a great time there with a picnic lunch. Also the house itself wasn't open (closed wednesdays and thursdays :( so I would have liked to have seen inside.
Then I went to a 'Saxon Village' which I had seen signs to - doesn't appear in any of my tourist books. It was great. Basically an archaeologist's research site where they have excavated all these old Saxon dwellings. Then they have tried to build their own versions from their findings to see if they work or not. Really interesting stuff.
So far I think I like the anglo-saxon period the best. People worked hard, but were not as precarioous as those of pre-roman times, but civilization wasn't built up enough that there was a particular structure to society yet.
What do I mean? I guess When I went round Montfichet castle the other day I quite liked that too - the lifestyle quite appealled to me. But I didn't like the Norman structure, and the punishments and tortures and religious aspects really turn me off. But the Saxons lived in their big families - sometimes 2 or three families in one place, but not too many more - so I can't imagine they could have had many more problems than your normal family has :)
Just ask the Osbornes..
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